Meat slicing machine



g- 93 A. c. VAN HOOYDONK 1,817,558

MEAT SLICING 1 MACHINE Filed June 20, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 4, 1931 warren stares ADRIAN G. VAN HOOYDONK; OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T JOHN SMITHS SONS COMPANY, OF BUFFALO,- NEW YORK, 15.. CORPUR-ATIGN NEW YORK MEAT snrorive MACHINE Application filed June 20,

This invention relates generally to improvements in slicing machines, but more particularly to machines for slicing bacon.

. It has for its object the provision of an efficient machine of this character having simple and reliable means for clamping or holding the bacon to the work table.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary'front end view of a bacon slicer equipped with my improved clamping device. Figure 2 is a vertical sec tion thereof taken in the plane of line 22, Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 33, Figure 1.

1 Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 4-4, Figure 1. Figure 5 is a detached perspective view ofthe lift guide of the clamping device.

Similar characters of reference indicate 2 corresponding parts throughout the several views.

My improved meat clamping device is adapted for attachment to the cutting end of a bacon slicer of any appropriate construction, that shown in the drawings including an end frame 10 in which is journaled one end of a horizontal driving shaft 11 having a knife or cutter blade 12 fixed thereon. Disposed below this shaft is a cutting so table 13 on which the bacon or other material is placed for slicing, thetable shown being 18 may be provided "Wlfill gripping shoes 23 which are curved upwardly at their front ends to permit the free passage of the meat past them during the'slicing operation. As r arranged at an angle to the axis of the cutter-shaft for the purpose of slicing the bacon on the bias to obtain a greater width of slice. 35 In machines of this type, the bacon is fed along the table and past the knife by a suitable feed screw mechanism, which it has not been deemed necessary to show.

Secured to the outer sideof the end frame 4 is asubstantially circular plate 14 having an outwardly-facing flange 15 at its periphery which may constitute a half-section of a guard for the knife 12, the other section 14' being shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. 45 Contained practically within the dimensional lines of this plate and located above the cut ting table 13 is the meat-clamping device which is constructed and arranged to firmly hold the meat on the table during the slicing .5? operation, irrespective of the position of the 1928. Serial No. 372,354.

able crosshead or clamp-carrying block guided at its opposite upright edges in grooved brackets 17 bolted or otherwise secured to the frame 10 at either side of the front end of the cutting table. Supported in a pendant position from this block are a plurality of transversely-alined clamping rods or plungers 18 which are adapted to engage the top surface of the meat and hold it firmly in place on the table while being sliced. Each clamping plunger is independently supported in a downwardly-opening socket 19in the block 16 and its movement is limited in either direction by a stop pin 20'engaging an upright slot 21 in said block. A spring 22 housed within the socket and bearing on the top side of the plunger serves to yieldingly urge the latter into gripping engagement with the meat. Bythis construction, the various plungers can independently adapt themselves to the uneven surface of the meat and separately exert a: gripping ten sion to firmly and securely hold the meat to the table, while pe'rmitting'the meat to be fed past the plungers into the path of movement of the knife 12.

At their lowere'nds the clamping plungers shown in Figure 1, these shoes are somewhat wider than the plunger-s and provide an ex tensive gripping face on the slab of meat.

The movement of the clamp-carrying block-16 into and out of gripping position is manually effected by a hand lever 24 fulcrumed at 25 to the plate 14 and connected by a link 26 with a lift guide 27 applied to the upper end of the block and having a tongue 28 at its inner side engaging a corresponding guide groove 29 preferably formed in a plate 30 secured to said plate 14: at one side of the knife-shaft 11. A spring 31 connected to the hand lever serves to constantly hold the latter. in its retracted position and urges the clamping block to its lowered gripping position.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the various parts of the meat-clamping device are compactly located between the plate 14 and the plane of movement of the knife 12 and are housed within the guard formed by said plate and its companion section 14:, whereby the operator of the machine is protected and accidents prevented.

lhe handle of the lever 24 extends through a slot 32 in the flange 15 of the guard plate 14 and carries a shield 83 for keeping such slot covered.

In the operation of this device, the slab of bacon is placed on the cutting table, the operator first elevating the clamping block 15 by shittim the hand lever 2i downwardly. After the bacon is properly placed for cutting the first slice, the hand lever is released and the clamping block is automatically lowered to bring its plungers 18 into gripping engagement with the bacon. The machine is then operated to slice the bacon in the usual manner, the meat being fed past the revolv ing knife 12 and the springs 22 applied to the plungers permitting the latter to yield sufiiciently to allow for the movement of the bacon slab beneath the plungers.

I claim as my invention 1. In a slicing machine of the character described, the combination of a table for supporting the article to be sliced, a cutter, a cross-head arranged over the table for movement toward and from the same, pendant plungers mounted on said cross-head and provided at their lower ends with gripping shoes having their "front edges upwardly curved and arranged to engage the article to hold it in place on the table, and means for yieldingly resisting upward movement of said plungers. V

2. In a slicing machine of the character described, the combination of a table for supporting the article to be sliced, a cutter, a cross-head arranged over the table for move ment toward and from the same, said crosshead having a plurality of downwardlyopening sockets therein, and yieldable clamping elements arranged in said sockets for individually exerting a gripping action to hold the article to the table.

3. in a slicing machine of the character described, the combination of a table for supporting the article to be sliced, a cutter, a cross-head arranged over the table for movement toward and from the same, said crosshead having a plurality of downwardlyopening sockets therein and upright slots opening into said sockets, plungers arranged in the sockets for clamping the article to the table, stop pins on said plungers and engageable with said slots for limiting their move ment in either direction, and springs for yieldingly resisting the upward movement of said plungers.

i. In a slicing machine of the character described, the combination of a table for the article to be sliced, a cutter, a plate arranged vertically over the table in parallel spaced relation to the cutter, and clamping means disposed in the space between the cutter and said plate and movable toward and from the table for holding the article in place thereon.

5. In a slicing machine of the character described, the combination of a table for the article to be sliced, a cutter, a plate arranged vertically over the table in parallel spaced relation to the cutter, a cross-head guided vertically in the space between the cutter and said plate, clamping elements yieldingly suspended from said cross-head and engageable with the article for holding the same on the table, and an actuating lever for moving the cross-head into and out of its operative position.

ADRIAN C. VAN HOOYDONK. 

